Youth Rowing

We offer classes and coaching for youth rowers at all skill levels: brand new beginners to competitors. Course offerings depend on the time of year.

Our goal is to provide the opportunity for students of all backgrounds to learn to how to row and ultimately compete on a local and national level. We strive to provide an environment that nurtures development of character, strength of commitment and passion for excellence.

Youth rowers need to be at least 14 years of age (younger with coach's permission).

Several of our youth discovered rowing after being sidelined from other sports by concussions.

Rowing opens doors for educational opportunities including college scholarships.

Athletes of all fitness levels that are willing to work hard are welcome. Crew is a sport where grit and determination lead to success.

Rowing is a mentally, physically, and socially transformative lifetime sport. Many youth have found rowing to be the sport that unlocks their inner athlete after not finding much success with ball-sports like soccer, basketball, baseball, or tennis.

Rowing is all about teamwork: without it, the boat will not move successfully through the water. The collective team is greater than the sum of its parts. Learning to work with together is an important life lesson.

Rowing requires mental focus in harmony with physical energy which can translate into improved concentration with school work.

Rowing provides a full body workout without stressing joints and is an ideal way to improve fitness/health.

While height and strength are advantages for rowers and the ideal coxswain is petite, athletes of all sizes have been successful.

College Admissions

For parents and students, one of the primary advantages of high school coxing/rowing is the benefit of improved college admissions. The application process for the best colleges has become more competitive and selective than ever. Crew is the fastest growing NCAA sport and many colleges recruit for crew and some even offer scholarships. Admission improvements for athletes who row/cox are significant and there are many scholarship opportunities.

Our alumni currently row for Dartmouth, Princeton, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the University of Richmond. Our alumni were also recruited by Georgetown and the University of Pennsylvania.

A past youth rower represented the United States at the Junior World Championships in Lithuania during the summer of 2013.

What happens during practices?

In addition to taking boats out and rowing on the water, athletes train at practice in a variety of other ways – on rowing machines (ergs), and running to warm up with some core strengthening and stretching.

Are practices mandatory?

All rowers are expected to be present for all practices. Rowers cannot improve unless they attend practices and line-ups in the best boats assume that rowers will be there. This is only respectful of both the other athletes on the team as well as the coaches. Should rowers be unable to make one or more practices, particularly if there is a frequent conflict, the individual athlete must inform the coach in advance.

What about being late to practice or leaving early?

Most practices start with a coach discussion and warm-up in which rowers will want to participate. Once line-ups are set and boats have launched, late rowers will only be able to do a land workout, typically running or erging at the coach’s discretion. For boats with a pre-determined line-up, late rowers will impact the whole team. Similarly, it is difficult for individual rowers to leave early if the practice is on the water, unless the workout is land training. However, rowers should coordinate potential late arrivals and early departures with their coaches in advance.